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I would tell you to enroll in Katharine Gibbs Entre program, but it no longer exists. practicing for long periods of time every day and the pressure to meet goals set by that program I was in (entree) did it for me. In a former life I actually taught typing skills to high school students and communi...

[url]If you can narrow to a couple neighborhoods of Boston, minimum bd/ba, Max. price, proximity priorities, accessibility needs, and any special interests you have (large modern kitchen, higher ceilings for artwork, etc.) , then just type up a list and take it to a meeting with a realtor in the ci...

I'd avoid anything weird the few days before the exam. If you aren't normally vegan, I wouldn't do that just before the test. TRUE STORY: US rates of diverticulosis and diverticulitis soared the last few years. Seems the "gluten-free" craze has the side effect of reducing fiber in the die...

You know the real estate market in your area better than anyone on this board. If you live in an area where houses are in high demand you should have no problem selling on your own however you need to do your homework as others have pointed out. I think some of the opinions here are biased and conne...

What works for me is doing an activity I love (contra dancing) 2x a week for a total of 5 hours plus cutting back on sweets. When not dancing I luv to walk or go for a bike ride and strength training in the past has always helped. No matter the opinions expressed here diet and vigorous exercise work...

Looking for some feedback from all of you savvy individuals. The apartment requires a 12-month lease (fine), ~1-month security deposit depending on credit (fine), and 1-month broker fee (standard in this market). Given it hasn't rented and the owner is looking to rent for 7/1, I was thinking of say...

Financially, a PhD in STEM isn't necessarily a great decision. It's a lot of extra work, and it won't necessarily payoff in the end, even though you're stuck living as a grad student for a long time. It's true about the ceiling being higher, but that really depends upon your industry. In some indus...

Both the girlfriend and I work in Cambridge. Somerville and Cambridge are simply too expensive for me. What about this place? http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/50-Bacon-St-Watertown-MA-02472/2130198137_zpid/ too expensive? I think the townhouse is very nice inside. Not so sure of the location. I re...

[quote="deuceplus"]In the Boston area real estate is booming, particularly anything within 10-15 miles from Boston proper. Many houses in towns such as Arlington, Newton, Watertown and Lexington are now selling for more than during the previous top 2005/2006 even after adjusting for inflat...

Received a phone call the other day from a company wanting to give me a stock tip on MCIG. the number was 310 775-2033. I told them I didn't buy individual stocks and to put me on their "do not call list".

DanDav - I think the issues are more connected than you state. If my daughter learns better in smaller classes, then the size of the school (assuming it relates to the number of kids in classes) is a factor to how good an education she will get. But the main issue is as you state - Where will she g...

Allan set my husband and I on the right course financially after years of throwing away money to a previous financial advisor. He was so good at it, that I have not needed to pay him for advice, or anyone else, in two years. I also continue to read his blogs for free advice. For now I'm comfortable ...

I guess I didn't make this clear. It's not that I want to disown him. I am thinking about this from a liability perspective mainly. He would get his own car and health insurance. It's something that will happen in 3 years anyway. And if he got into a bind, of course we'd rescue him just as we would...

A friend of mine's two daughters graduated from a private four year college with a similar major and ended up working in stores doing jobs that high school grards do. A friend of mine's daughter graduated and eventually became the store manager of a major department store, then manager of the flags...

My daughter is a senior in high school and we're trying to decide between two schools that offer a certain program. She wants to major in fashion merchandising and wants to go to a school that has a joint program with the Fashion Institute of Technology (she'd spend 1 year in NYC going to FIT). The...

My husband and his sister inherited a seasonal beach cottage (no mortgage) literally over a marsh/water that overlooks the CT side of Long island Sound. We love it for sentimental reasons and spend as much time as possible there from may to October. However, I would never ever buy property that clos...

The attitude towards home ownership is full of cognitive biases: - The real estate industry, with its powerful lobby and strong community ties, emphases the advantages of the ownership and suppresses discussions of drawbacks. - A homeowner focuses on the tax savings and dismisses occasional high ex...

I'm currently in the market for a home purchase, but the numbers just don't jive. A decent 2 bd/ 2 ba condo are selling (quickly) for ~$400k + HOA = $2400/mo . But the EXACT same place currently rents for $1800 ! So by not buying, I'm re-allocating $600/mo and my $80k down-payment to other investme...

I can't help you with alternatives, but When it comes to investing my money in CD's, I look for those that have the lowest penalty for breaking them for when I find another CD that has a higher interest rate. I did just that back in January when I broke 5 cds with Ally that were earning 1.89% and pu...

I don't mean to pick on you, but was it necessary to purchase a $2700 dollar computer? I don't know what your computer needs are, but my daughter just purchased an Apple Macbook pro with 8gb for around $1,000 dollars. She got 200 off for being a student and didn't need any fancy software other then ...

Crack under pressure? That's amusing. I don't know. My kids have had 4 hours a night of homework since the 6th grade. SAT/ACT are the great equalizers. If a student went to Boston Latin (exam to get in public school....usually #1 in the state), his SAT is likely better than a similarly ranked stude...

Crack under pressure? That's amusing. The pressure will unlikely come from academics, but may come from sports, band, prom, drugs, etc. I forgot to emphasize that a high school where all the kids go to college will have enough guidance counselors and meetings to make sure kids are on track for coll...

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Freedom Trail and Faneuil Market are on our list of possibilities. We also considered an evening dinner cruise off the harbor. Is there one you would recommend? Just walk through faneuil market on your way to the north end, don't stop to eat at the market. Forge...

http://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2014/03/judge_issues_ruling_in_teens_suit_against_parents.html The fact that this case may go to trial is a little disturbing. I always believed that once a child turns 18, the parents have zero liability to provide any financial support or housing. I'm not saying...

I found myself a bit teary eyed during some of it (sad over the loss of some very talented artists for one). Loved the tribute to the Wizard of OZ, though would have liked to see Liza Minelli on stage. Loved the best supporting actor and actress speeches and that Kate Blanchette( even though I'm a b...

Also, I am a true believer that people make better decisions when they have some skin in the game. Knowing you have student loans to pay back can be good motivation to study hard and stay out of trouble. In the event that our kids do work hard and make good decisions, we may choose to reward them a...

If I had to do it all over again, I would not have let my daughters get so involved in figure skating. THankfully I got one to quit when she started high school, and I didn't spend 20k a year (they were never going to the olympics), and grandpa helped in the later years. Totally ridiculous amounts ...

In the kids' high school senior year, one of the teachers at a financial aid application meeting encouraged us to limber up that ol' check writing arm. I now know she wasn't joking. Our state requires a four year undergrad degree and a masters' for teaching above the elementary level. OK, five year...

Here is what you don't have now. Hockey traveling team. Ice skates for your figure skater at $700 a pop (2012 prices) - that's without blades ($300). [Did you know that feet grow?] Coaching is by the half hour, say $50 - $75 (it's been a long time for me, but Olympic coaches don't come cheap). And ...

I keep telling anyone who will listen it's not that hard to save up this type of money. Get a STEM degree from a state school and you'll be guaranteed a job when you graduate making 60-80k, 10% raise within 1 year, 3% raises per year, another 10% bump after 4-6 years and then nothing ever again :) W...

I live in MA and my daughters who live in Boston both use the doctors at Harvard Vanguard, one in Cambridge and the other at the Kenmore facility. But they have offices all over. Mainly you want a dr who is board certified as an internist and affiliated with a good hospital and has at least a few ye...

It seems to me that the issue of whether to put all the money together is a semantic issue rather than a real issue. Of course we (and all smart people) consider the entirety of their assets as one big pot on some level, making sure not to deviate from their general investment strategy when conside...

Interesting that so many are suggesting to pay off the $400K mortgage. Not something I had really thought of. Very cheap $$$ (can't remember the rate but I think low 3's%), + major tax benefits to keeping mortgage. Why pay it off? When my husband received a windfall, the one thing our advisor insis...

I grew up in NYC in the 60'/70s and rode the busses and subways with friends by time I was 10 and alone by time I was maybe in 8th grade. ... I think it was great that I grew up in the city in a time when it was pretty safe as a farily young girl to be out and about on her own and using public tran...

I grew up in NYC in the 60'/70s and rode the busses and subways with friends by time I was 10 and alone by time I was maybe in 8th grade. ... I think it was great that I grew up in the city in a time when it was pretty safe as a farily young girl to be out and about on her own and using public tran...

I believe that riding the bus and train without adults at a tender age to get to other cities is a major reason that I am self-sufficient in most situations now. Whether I can afford to chaperone ThatKid around, or even purchase a car for him, he WILL be exposed to public transportation at a tender...

I got a good deal, imho, on a certified used toyota corolla 2013 with 3,000 miles on it because it was the dealers car, and I bought it in January of 2014. I just gave a sales pitch to the dealer with whom we have bought 2 other cars and have had 4 cars serviced there for over 20 years. And I pointe...

I only agree with number 7. Number 1 to 6 maybe only apply to the author. Also, I think people should have kids when they r ready to be parent. And if that mean after 40 or 45 or older, than so be it. It may be a lot easier for a man of 40 to 45 or older to help conceive a baby but a woman waiting ...

Personally I wouldn't buy such a large home which is going to cost you more in the long run i.e. heat, maintenance, cleaning, rising property taxes etc. . I would rather go smaller, less expensive and have more money left over each month, take out a much smaller mortgage and shorter loan repayment. ...

I am thinking about going to see "12 Years a Slave" but I try to avoid movies with lots of intense graphic violence, torture and stuff like that. Just how much brutality do they show in "12 years a slave"? I almost avoided Schindler's List for this reason, but then went to see i...